Meredith Might Just Love Him
by Dawning Phoenix
Summary: Well, I've decided to write a John/Meredith story... I hope I didn't do too badly. This is a first so please be nice!


**This is a first so please be nice. On that note don't be afraid to tell me if something is wrong... nicely. :D**

* * *

Ronon was with Amelia, Teyla with Torren and Kanaan, and Carson with Alison. John was alone in the world once again. Feeling the pull of boredom John wondered to the lab where he was certain he'd find Meredith working well into the night.

He strode at an easy pace through the halls until he reached the lab. Meredith, as John had suspected, was staring at a computer screen.

"Hey, Meredith. Busy at work I see?" John greeted.

"Um, what? Yeah." She answered distractedly, eyes never leaving the computer screen.

Knowing he wasn't going to get her attention by talking, John walked up behind her and purposefully leaned over her shoulder to look at the screen. It was full of equations that made absolutely no sense to John but he pretended to be interested anyway, leaning in until his head was right next to hers.

"Do you need something?" Meredith exclaimed, making her dislike of him invading her 'personal space' evident.

John produced a power bar from his pocket (best to keep one on hand at all times in case of emergency.) "Have you eaten recently?"

"No." Meredith answered, now giving John (or rather the power bar) her complete attention.

"Popcorn and a movie?" He tempted, pulling the power bar back as she reached for it.

Meredith narrowed her eyes. "It's getting late."

"Uh-huh, are we going to get into trouble for staying up?" John asked, when Meredith didn't answer John sighed. "Please? Everybody else has their dates for the evening, even Lorne. I don't know about Woolsey but I think he'd be happier with wine and classical music than a beer and a movie. I'm friendless." Here John inserted his best lost puppy look and his most hopeful expression. John knew from experience that it would be effective at once. After all, it had all the other times he'd come to her out of boredom, which was often.

Meredith acquiesced immediately. "Okay."

"Great." John grinned.

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Somewhere near the end of the movie Meredith had fallen asleep. That was normal. They would joke and poke fun in the plot and then towards the end she'd fall asleep. What was different this time was that she'd fallen asleep on his shoulder. John really didn't want to wake her up. He studied her for a moment. She was in the standard Atlantis uniform but without the jacket, the light blue short-sleeved shirt was a little more tightly fitting than the male uniform and the gray pants were likewise. Clutched loosely in her hands was a large bowl of mostly eaten popcorn. John found it inexplicably cute the way she held it close to her stomach like she thought someone would steal it. Her light brown hair had, at some point, fallen across her face. John brushed aside the stray lock revealing closed lids that John knew hid vibrant blue eyes. Somewhere along his thought process John fell asleep as well and the lights waned into darkness responsively.

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Meredith stirred and look around for a moment forgetting where she was. Catching sight of John asleep next to her Meredith remembered. He had come to her in one of his frequent quests to quench boredom. John was now leaning his forehead on a fisted hand that was propped up by his elbow on the arm of the couch.

"John." Meredith sat up and lightly poked his shoulder.

He stirred slightly but didn't move further.

Meredith glanced at the window to see morning light peeking through the drapes over the windows causing her to cringe. They'd been there all night.

"John." Meredith said a little louder and shook his shoulder.

"Hmm?" John opened his eyes and blinked rapidly to rid himself of sleep, and pulled his head off his fist.

Meredith stared distractedly at his sleppy hazel-green eyes before stating, "We fell asleep."

He took a moment to glance at the windows, then the movie screen, and down to the bowl of stale popcorn. "I can see that." He mumbled. "Sorry, guess I was more tired than I thought."

Meredith glanced at her watch. "Six. I'm going to head back to my quarters and change. I'll meet you in the mess for breakfast." Meredith didn't want to get up but forced her legs to anyway. She did, however, use John's shoulder for leverage. As Meredith left she pretended not to hear John's contented sigh as she left.

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"Come on you missed dinner." John announced, striding through the door.

Meredith looked up. "Not hungry, see we found something in the database, it's actually quite interesting – Whoa!" Meredith exclaimed the last word as John yanked the chair around. Not hard enough to unseat her but enough to get her attention.

"Let's go." John commanded.

"But I – " Meredith protested.

"Nope. If you won't walk I'll carry you." John said.

Meredith stared hard at him, trying to decide if he was serious.

To prove his point John slipped one arm under her legs and the other behind her back and lifted her up, Meredith had to hook her arm over his shoulder to keep steady. "You sure you don't want to walk?"

"Oh sure, Colonel Privacy is going to carry me into a very public mess hall." Meredith mocked.

John gave as much of a shrug as he could while holding her and started for the door.

"Oh, I get it! You think I'll give in before we get there." Meredith exclaimed, although she knew she was just giving herself excuses because she _really_ didn't want him to put her down.

John's mouth twitched but he said nothing.

For thirteen minutes Meredith tried her best to keep her face a look of stubborn defiance and not girlish glee. She soon realized they weren't going in the direction of the mess hall and said so.

"As you said, I won't walk into a very public mess hall. We are going to a balcony."

They arrived at said balcony a few minutes later. Here John placed Meredith on the ground again.

"Oh really? Picnic? You know traditionally you ask a girl onto date." Meredith said as she surveyed the solid blue blanket and basket.

John grinned in response and waggled his eyebrows. "_Traditionally."_

Meredith attempted to stay stubborn and make cracks about abduction but it took John all of five minutes to break through. Eating and laughing Meredith decided she liked forced dates.

John finished an exaggerated version of Robin Hood, complete with himself as Robin Hood and her as Maid Marian and various Atlantis personnel filled in respectively. When Meredith recovered from her fit of giggles she found her face only inches away from John's. John shifted his body in her direction and Meredith's gaze was driven to his mouth. Meredith found John doing the same, emboldened she leaned closer. That's when his radio crackled to life and he was summoned for a rescue mission to an overdue team.

John gave a slightly disappointed sigh, "I guess we should – "

One thing true about Meredith was that she had a tendency to be impatient and _hated_ it when things were taken away from her, so Meredith did what was true to her personality and closed the widening gap and gave John a to-short kiss. After a few seconds she pulled away when John didn't move Meredith said, "Well, let's go save the day."

John got up and stumbled away toward the door. Meredith grinned after him. Turning to the towering spires she addressed the city, "Well you happy now? You're favorite and your genius."

Meredith could've sworn she heard a soft hum and seen the outdoor lights glow briefly through the sunlight.

* * *

Meredith leaned over the balcony railing trying to remember a time in her life when she'd ever felt this happy. When she'd received her first PHD didn't even come close and for the longest time that was her peak. Right now she was standing on one of Atlantis' higher balconies with John close next to her enjoying the companionable silence. They had spent much of their spare time together because their close friends had decided this year was the year to pair up. Unbeknownst to Meredith, John was considering the exact same thing.

He had his hands stuffed into his pockets with an outwardly casual expression. On the inside he was a rush of nerves and his left hand was fingering a small box apprehensively. Taking in a deep breath John turned and took Meredith's left hand in his right. "Meredith." He began, _This shouldn't be that hard._

_Hurry up before you chicken out._ Atlantis's Artificial Intelligence's voice prodded.

_Thanks for the support._ John responded though he agreed with her, if he didn't do it now he probably would lose the courage.

"Yeah?" Meredith turned to him with happy blue eyes and for a moment John was caught in them before Meredith asked, "Are you going to say something or just stare at me?"

"Oh, right." John smiled a bit sheepishly before going down on one knee and pulling out the box he flicked it open expertly with one hand. He spent hours opening and closing it out of nervousness that he could probably do it in his sleep.

Meredith's jaw dropped when she saw what he was doing.

"Meredith McKay, I have known you for six years and I figured out how much I loved you about four months ago. Will you marry me?"

"I think that's the most emotional thing you've ever said." Meredith exclaimed thinking that she might just love him... a lot.

"I rehearsed it for hours." John replied cheekily, when Meredith didn't say anything John prodded. "Well don't leave me hanging."

Meredith pulled herself out of her reverie and a full blown grin stretched across her face. "Yes!"

John matched her grin while he slipped the ring onto her finger. Then he stood wrapped his arms around his new fiance and kissed her. The only other time he'd felt this overjoyed was when he had flown for the first time.

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**Okay, it probably wasn't that great but this _was_ a first. Please tell me where to improve!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Dawn**


End file.
